Regular hours:
Monday through Friday — 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Saturday/Sunday — Closed
Addressing letters and packages:
Mail should be addressed as:
|
"Your Name"
RPI Residence Hall & Room Number 1999 Burdett Ave. Troy, NY 12180 |
We will only accept letters & parcels for students that will be living "on-campus" during the semester.
"ON-CAMPUS" students are living in the following residence halls:
| B.A.R.H. | Church | Hunt | R.A.H.P. (B) | Williams | |||||
| Barton | City Station West | MacDonald | Roebling | Wiltsie | |||||
| Blitman | Clement | McGiffert | Rousseau | Colonie Apts | |||||
| Bray | Cooper | Nason | Sharp | ||||||
| Bryckwyck | Crockett | North | Thompson | ||||||
| Buck | Davison | Nugent | Voorhees | ||||||
| Caldwell | Hall | Pardee | Waite | ||||||
| Cary | Hearne | Polytech | Warren | ||||||
| Cassatt | Hirai | R.A.H.P. (A) | White | RPI Campus Map |
Students that are considered "off-campus" MUST have their letters & packages shipped to the address that they are residing at.
If valuables of any kind are sent to a student, we urge the sender to use a class of mail that requires a signature.
(ex: Certified, Insured, or Express Mail)
NEVER SEND CASH OR GIFT CARDS THROUGH ANY CARRIER. (USPS, FEDEX, UPS, DHL)
Incoming Student Mail
The Rensselaer Mail Service is for students living in “on campus” residence halls. All mail and packages delivered to Rensselaer for students living “off campus” that is serviced by the Troy Post Office will be returned to the sender.
There are more than 5,000 students at Rensselaer, and the Student Mail Center receives many pieces of mail and packages. To ensure ease of package delivery and pick up, please keep the following things in mind:
- Be sure that the student name, residence hall, room number and the ZIP code are all correct and legible.
- When picking up a package, students are required to show their student ID card (or valid photo identification).
- Can’t get to the Student Mail Center to pick up your package? E-mail us at mailservice@lists.rpi.edu authorizing a friend or roommate to pick up your package. Your authorized person will need to have their photo ID card and sign for the package.
- If your package has a USPS Delivery Confirmation™ number, it may be tracked to the main Post Office in downtown Troy. This does not mean that the package has been received at RPI's Student Mail Center. If your package does not have a tracking number, we will be unable to track your package or verify that the specific package has arrived on our premises. The best method for tracking a USPS package is to ship using Signature Confirmation Service™, Return Receipt Service™, or Express Mail Service®.
- E-mail addresses are verified through the Student Information System (SIS), therefore, it is important that your information is current. If you have received more than one notification e-mail, please let the person at package pick up area know.
- The Rensselaer Mail Service does not have the facilities to refrigerate medication, food, or flowers. The Rensselaer Mail Service is not responsible for said item that are not picked up by the student by the end of business on the day the items arrives at RPI.
- Due to the high volume of incoming packages, the Student Mail Center can not hold your parcel(s) for more than 7 business days.
- The Mail Service Department will begin to accept packages for incoming students for the Fall Semester on August 1st. Parcels will only be received and stored for students that will be living on campus. Sorority and fraternity housing will be considered as off campus housing and will not be accepted. Please verify the correct address before shipping to avoid any lost or delayed parcels.
In order to better accomodate students' busy schedules and to improve the efficiency of processing of packages daily, RPI Student Mail Services has installed Intelligent Parcel Lockers at the student Union location.
These Intelligent Parcel Lockers provide secure package pickup 24 hours a day and allow students fast, worry-free package retrieval at a time convenient to them.
- Packages will be delivered daily and loaded to 1 of 6 locker bays.
- Student will get an email with the locker code/barcode
- Student goes to the appropriate locker bay location at their convenience.
- Student walks up to the console
- Student enters the code / or scans the barcode
- Student signs for the package on the console
- Locker door pops open
- Student retrieves package
- Student closes door
- EXCEPTION: All packages that are too large or heavy to fit into the lockers must be picked up at the RPI Student Mail Services service counter. (A seperate email will notify the student to do so.)
Our service counter hours are Monday-Friday 8:00a.m. - 4:30p.m. Student identification is required.
What happens if you can't pick up your package within 48 hours?
- If the locker package is not picked up within 48 hours or if the package is oversize, the student is notified to go directly to the RPI Mail Service counter during regular business hours to obtain their parcel.
- Packages are held for a total of 7 days for pick-up. Due to the high volume of incoming packages, the Mail Center can not hold your parcel(s) for more than 7 business days.
- After the 7 days, the package is Returned To Sender (RTS) unless arrangements to hold the parcel are made in advance.
What if I closed the locker door before I took my package out?
- Your locker codes are active for 15 minutes after the locker door is closed by the user. Go to the console and re-enter your codes.
What if I lost my locker codes?
- Lost locker codes can be re-issued by the RPI Mail Services staff. Rensselaer student ID will be required.
How long will my package be available in the locker?
- You have 48 hours from your notification that you have a package to pick up your package to pick up your package from the locker.
- The lockers are available to you 24/7.
What if my codes do not work?
- Go to the RPI Mail Service counter for assistance. Bring Rensselaer student identification.
Can a friend pick up my package from the locker if I give them my codes?
- Yes. However, if they have issues at the locker with the pickup, they cannot get assistance or any re-issued codes. ONLY the package recipient can request re-issued locker codes.
Outgoing Student Mail
Prepaid mail and packages can be dropped off at the Student Mail Center during our regular business hours.
Postage for parcels and letters can be purchased at the U.S.Postal Office, located in Troy, NY.
or visit the USPS website at https://www.usps.com/
RPI Mail Services is not responsible for lost or damaged packages.
Shipping of computers should be pre-packaged per the carrier's requirements.
Click-N-Ship® is a service provided by the United States Postal Service which allows you to pay for your shipping labels online and print the labels on your personal printer. You must register and supply your credit card information to use the Click-N-Ship® service.
Endicia® lets you print complete, prepaid postage for any single-piece domestic mail class offered by the US Postal Service, including military (APO/FPO) addresses, including First-Class Mail, Priority Mail, Express Mail, Media Mail, Library Mail, Bound-Printed Matter, or Parcel Post. You must register and supply your credit card information to use the Endicia service.
UPS® - Ship, track, and manage your profile all in one place when you register for My UPS. Then, save even more time by opening a UPS shipping account for easy billing options.
FedEx® - allows you to customize your delivery preferences, manage delivery times and locations, and keep track of your FedEx deliveries with FedEx Delivery Manager®
Student Change of Address
It is important to keep the college informed of changes to your name, preferred name, address, and telephone number.
Change of Address instructions for a currently registered student:
Use the dirinfo service to update your personal directory information. Log in using your RCS ID and password. Depending on your status as a student or employee of Rensselaer, you may not be able to edit all fields in the directories, so please contact directory updates if you require assistance updating your directory information. Please note that it takes 24 hours before any updates will display in the directory.
Students: see also the Student Information System for updates to other personal information.
If you are returning to your permanent address, there is no need to update the address form as your permanent address is already on record. Only change your address if it is different from the permanent address on file.
Federal regulations require you to notify Immigration Services of your address in the United States within ten days of any change. You must have both a local and permanent address on file with RPI. "Local address" refers to your address in the Troy, New York area. "Permanent address" refers to an address outside the United States.
The change of address you make with the Immigration Services will not be communicated to the RPI Mail Center.
Therefore, you must also change/update your address information in the Directory Information.
For further information, please visit the following sites:
Mail Safety
Stay informed as Rensselaer works to protect our community and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
To ensure the health and safety of the Rensselaer community, we have taken careful consideration to make some changes to how things operate.
- Decals have been placed on the floor outside mailroom counters to mark appropriate physical distancing.
- Plexiglas sneeze guards have been installed at all mailroom service counters.
- We are making sure to thoroughly and frequently clean our office, lobby, and the PackCity lockers.
- Gloves, face coverings, cleaning supplies, and hand sanitizer have been provided to mailroom staff.
Please make sure to wear a mask when accessing the mailroom.
When your package has arrived in the mailroom, please respond to the email notification as soon as possible.
The United States Postal Service is designated an essential service for the nation and is an integral part of the federal response to this coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis. The following information shows how they are continuing to deliver for America. (Click here for more information.)
Additional resources:
Rensselaer latest updates on COVID-19
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
What is suspicious? Typical characteristics:
- Mail from someone unfamiliar to you. Know your sender.
- Has no return address, or one that cannot be verified as legitimate.
- Has unusual weight, is lopsided, is oddly shaped, and is oddly sealed.
- Has strange odors or stains.
- May be marked “Rush,” “Personal,” “Confidential,” etc.
- Shows a city or postmark that does not match the return address.
- If you think it is suspicious, treat it as suspicious.
Unopened mail that appears to be suspicious:
- DO NOT OPEN IT.
- Leave the package or letter where it is. Do not pass the letter or package to others. Call Public Safety immediately at ext. 6611. Off-campus, dial 911. Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Wait nearby for the Public Safety officer.
- The Public Safety officer will decide what further precautionary steps are to be taken, if any.
If you have opened mail that contains something suspicious:
- Do not try to clean up the contents (powder).
- Cover the spilled contents immediately with anything (e.g., clothing, paper, trash can, etc.). Do not remove this cover.
- Leave the room and close the door, or section off the area to prevent others from entering. Try to isolate yourself.
- Wash your hands with soap and water to prevent spreading any powder to your face. Do not touch eyes, nose or mouth.
- Call Public Safety immediately at ext. 6611. Off-campus, dial 911. Wait nearby.
- You will receive immediate directions and help.
- Remain calm. Do not panic.
The Department of Public Safety will coordinate with local law enforcement and fire officials.